Police in Yala’s Betong revamp security to regain public confidence after car bomb

YALA, 6 August 2014 – Police in Betong district of Yala province have revamped their security provision protocol in an attempt to regain the confidence of the local public and tourists, which has been shaken from the July 25 car bomb in the district’s municipal area that killed two persons and injured 52 others.

According to Police Colonel Phairot Muenklahan, the new superintendent at Betong Police Station, police patrols will now also be made on foot, in addition to existing car and motorcycle patrols. The foot patrols will augment the police’s capacity to prevent mishaps and also allow police officers to forge contacts with members of the public – which would allow prompt reporting of any suspicious vehicles or persons.

Police said on Tuesday they were still tracking a number of stolen vehicles in the southern border provinces in an effort to prevent more car bombs. They also warned people not to attempt to claim insurance by falsely reporting their vehicles as stolen; three such instances have been uncovered in the past three months. Such action is illegal and carries a penalty of up to two years imprisonment or no more than 4,000 baht of fine, or both.